The Irish standard., 1887-12-03
CANNlBAL COOKERY.
a Game Of Whist In Which {
Man -Eater Took Part.

Man Eater Took Part.
nave known TWO cannlDals Intimately,
and they were both agreeable men, says o
writer in the New York .HoI aud cypress
One was my host III New Zealand and the
| other my partner at whist in Fiji. The race
is dying out SO fast. and the opportunity OF
| counting a canni1al among your acquoiIlt''
ance is growing rare. that my impress
slons of them and this remark On the SUB
| lcct may not be without interest.
| During a trip through the North Island OF
| New Iedluid i'll 1856 met in the vicinity OF
| the beautiful iH;ay Of Islands the old Maori
chief, Yc Hemera. AT this time he was a],-
proaalling eighty years Of age: but his intel
iect was bright and his memory apparently
unilnpaircu. In his younger days he musr
have been Il man Of ma gnificent physique,
but now he WAS bent and wthered and his
wonderfully tattooed face rescnlbled some
cnriously-plotVled piece Of parchment. AL
his life had been passed. III the North Island,
III :;.:y Ill the neigilhorhood of F;ainla.
he well remembered the arrival of The
first whit; settlers, and many and won
dc"Iul were the yarns he told about
them. On the subject Of cAnnihd!ism he
spoke as an expert, having partakeu Of
many human Joint. From him | learned
THAT the Miols never ntiul yed i'll canliDal-
'stn except III the case OF enemies killed or
taken prisoner in battle. Prisoners. how
ever, were often kept for years as slasc:.
and then. Oh the occasion Of SOME great
feast occurring. taken and killed. This
would account 'or the stories told by the
early missionary settlers Of the slaughter OF
human Victims in time OF peace Rarely,
except after ulg battle. or the wreck oi
sui1sc sh,p OH their ror]z-tound coast did the
M+oris indulge III Il human banquet. The
feast was conducted with considerable cerc-
1nony III . ''pal,'' specially reserved for the
purpose and whicl. went by the name of
"k-ai Iaugata:" which means Eat Man. -
The method Of cooking was as follows: The
cody WAS hung up to a beam by the neck
scalded With boiling wafer and carefully
scraped with oyster shells. 1t was then
taken down, the hair all cut off and the mead
lecapitated. The brain being considered q
great dclicacy, was reserved for tbs chief
In the case Of Iuen killed in battle the heart
WAS the property Of the slayer. The cntrails
were then taken out and the trunk filled
with hot stones. 1t was then placed III an
oven built in the ground, covered over with
stones, and allowed to cook for at least
twelve hours, It Was customary to place
the body in the oven about sunset and
the whole night during which the cook
ing was going on was passed III
feasting and dancing. AT early dawn the
meat was taken out and cut UP for
distribution. 'orne of. the flesh was
given to the women. and each man. on re-
cesving his share. retired to his s'pai' and
ate it in private. Te Helnera could give
me no reason for this last custom. which is
a very curious >ne,s as at all other banQucts
the food is eaten in public. fancy it must
have originated from the fact that their i'll
ordinate greed for human flesh was apt to
lead to Quarrels during the consumption of |
it. For it is held to be heinous crime to
do any thing to disturb the sacred harmony
during the progress Of feast Should !
this be solution of the custom. it may be !
taken as a confirmation Of the theory that
the practice of cannibalisln tends to brutal
ize those who indulge in it. 10 show how |
all-absorhing the taste becomes, re He |
mera told me that, on one occasion, a young
girl was allotted to him as portion of a |
number OF slaughtered victims, and, put
ting her into canoe, he carried her tar
from the settlement into the bush, and |
there remained until he had finished her. |
Can any thing more CHASTITY be imagined |
than this weird feast in the depths Of a
New Zealand forest. Never, I'VE are apt to I
imagine. does man feel more near God than /
when he PAGES in solitude the paths OF some
wild. How passing strange is it
that man, clothed in the very image of his
Maker, men created but little lower than
the angels, should be capable Of deyouring,
with ghoulish glee, his fellow-men. I con-
fess that after hearing this story, felt
loathing for the old man which never got
over, and was not sorry to leave him and
his grim "reminiscences far behind. while [
betook myself to fresh fields and pastures
new.
From New Zealand to the Fiji Islands is
no great distance, and during fortnight's
stay in that lovely group met several no
torious cannibals. Moreover, experienced
the novel sensation of playing a rub
the time OF the visit King Thak.
ambau was alive and much given to
to any travellers who visited De
vaka. A handsome allowance from the
British Government enabled him to indulge
this whim to his hearts content, and every
evening an entertainment of some sort was
provided at the palace. Thakambau was
then sNtY-three years of age: but looked
older; fne-ooking man standing over six
feet in height. with intelligent but crafty
features. He had discarded native costume
and usually appeared dressed III black
frock coat and a stove-pipe hat, which did
not add to his dignity. One evening and
, friend strolled into the Kings garden and
found him sitting on the verandah Of one of
his houses playing euchre with his son,
Prince Abel. As;we watched the game and
:hatted about cards was surprised to learn
hat Thakambau knew whist. Il appeared
That he had learnt the game few years
ago before when he was; the guest Sir
Hercules Robinson at Sidney He had not
oeen# able 70 make it popular with his peo-t
ple, however and Prince bel denounced It'll
smphkticallY as ia fool anne. the
EinpsR We sat down III b rillnher la